Musical instrument



Jan. 15, 1929. Y 1,698,958

w. o. MIESSNER MUSICAL I N.S TRUMENT Filed Dec. 12, 1927 I VIIIIIII/fi 1 VENTOR.

By I g $777M ATTORNEYS w/ieammw Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

. UNITED STATES WILLIAM OTTO MIESSNEB, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed December 12, 1927. Serial- 110,239,480.

similarly to the finger positions on a violin.

A further object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument in which the tones are produced by individual reeds, each operated by an individual valve through a key of the plunger type, the sounds being amplified by a resonator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument which has immediate transfer possibilities to any of the class of wind instruments, because of its development of the users breath control in musical phrasing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument which has immediate transfer possibilities to the stringed instrument class because the user is required to produce melodic changes and is thereby familiarized with the finger position and action which is similar to the finger position and action of a stringed instrument.

A further object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument of the class described which has transfer possibilities to the piano, as the keys or plun ers are white and black to correspond to tile white and black keys of a piano, the tones of the C major diatonic scale being indicated by white keys and flats or sharps being indicated by black keys, whereby the user 1s familiarized with the relative positions of said keys in a piano.

A further object of this invention is to providea musical instrument of the class described in which the mechanism is very accessible, permitting the easy removal and replacement of reeds.

A further object of the invention is to provide a musical instrument which is comparatively simple to play,is strong and durable, is inexpensive to manufacture, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists of the improved musical instrument and its parts and eombinas tions as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved musical instrument;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of a portion of the instrument with the outer wall insection; and

Fig. 5 is an inverted view similar to Fig. 4;.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will appear that the numeral 8 indicates an elongated wind tube reduced at its forward end portion to form a mouth piece 8. Secured to the opposite flared end portion 10 of the wind tube is an elongated reed-block 9 formed with a reduced inner end portion 9' which enters and is secured to the inner walls of said flared end portion 10.

The top of the reed-block is covered by a top plate 11 having flanged side and end portions to space it slightly above said block,- and the outer end portion of said top plate 11 has secured integrally a hollow resonator 12. Said top plate and resonator are readily removably held to the reed-block by a screw 13. The lower portion of the reed-block is enclosed by a lower plate 14, flanged so as to be spaced from said reed-block and held thereto by screws 15 and 16. As shown in Fig. 2, an end portion of said plate 14 fits within the resonator 12, so that when the parts are connected there is continuity and communication between the same.

The reed-block 9 is formed with four longitudinal adjacent rows of T-shaped reed openings 17, and within each of the same is removably' angularly positioned a reed 18 and a reed spring retainer 19, each spring retainer having a flanged upper end portion to permit its easy removal, and an openin 20 corresponding to the opening in the ree member. The bottom portion of each opening 17 is controlled by a valve 21 operated by a spring urged plunger 22. As shown par ticularly in Figs. 1 and 2, the plungers 22 project outwardly through openings therefor in the top plate 11, so as to be exteriorly accessible for depression to open the valves. In use, the player blows into the mouth piece 8, and through the wind tube, the air entering the reduced portion 9' of the reedblock and being deflected (lmrnwardly by a batlle 23 therein, so as to pass along a duct 21 formed bet ween the lower plate 14 and the bottom portion of the reed-block. An outer end wall ot the plate It prevents the air from passing outwardly from the duct 24: through the resonator. If one or more of the plungers 2:3 are depressed to open the valves 21 carried thereby. the air will enter the l'(((.l-l,ll()tl( openings 17 thus opened and will pass through the reeds 18 therein and the openings of the spring retainers 19, and the tones thus produced will issue from the upper portions of the openings 17 and into a longitudinal upper duct 26 between the top plate 11 and the upper portion of the reedblock. The sound waves will then pass out of the duct 26 over a resonator bafile 27 and through the interior of the resonator, being amplified thereby, and then out of its open end portion to the atmosphere.

As mentioned, the reeds and controlling means therefor, including the plungers 22, are arranged in four adjacent longitudinal rows, the arrangement being similar to the finger positions on a violin. For instance, the tones controlled by the plungers in the row marked G in Fig. 1, from right to left, are as follows: G, G#, A, A#, B, C, Cit, and D. In the row marked D, the notes are D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, and A. In the next row marked A, the notes are A, A#, B, C, Cit, D, D#, and E. In the last row marked E, the notes are E, F, Fit, G, G#, A, A#, and B. The respective reeds, of course, are selected and tuned ac cordingly. Vhile the reeds have been shown and described as being arranged chromatically with the finger positions of a violin, it is obvious that they may be arranged to correspond with the finger positions and respective pitches of a viola, cello, mandolin, guitar or other stringed instrument, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As shown clearly in Fig. 1, the outer end portions of the plungers 22 are white and black to correspond to the white and black keys of a piano. The White plungers represent the tones of the C major diatonic scale, and the black plungers represent flats or sharps. By this arrangement a user is familiarized with the relative positions of said keys in a piano.

Obviously, in the use of the instrument, no greatskill in the use of wind is required, and a beginner may produce correct and pleasing tones at once. Practice on the instrument will familiarize the user with the finger positions of a stringed instrument finger board and he may, thereafter, take up the playing of a stringed instrument and the same will come naturally, due to his familiarity with the finger hoard arrangement. Also, the instrument possesses transfer values to the wind instrument group because of the practice in handling and breath development required for musical phrasing.

Due to the easy removability of the plates 11 and 14, access to the reed-block is readily afforded and reeds may be quickly changed or replaced by removing the spring retainers 19.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the improved musical instrument is of simple and novel construction, and is Well adapted for the purposes set forth.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a wind instrument, a tubular member, a reed-block connected thereto, removable reeds therewit-hin and arranged in the order and sequence of the finger positions on a stringed instrument finger board, similarly positioned members for controlling said reeds, and a pair of readily removable plates enclosing said reed-block.

2. In a wind instrument, a tubular member, an apertured reed block connected thereto, removable reeds within said block apertures, said reeds being tuned and arranged in four conjunet rows, said reeds reducing in order all of the tones in a plura ity of octaves of the chromatic scale, a valve for each reed aperture, a pair of readily removable plates enclosing said reed-block and valves and an exteriorly projecting plunger for each valve, the arrangement of said plungers corresponding to the arrangement of said reeds.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM OTTO MIESSNER. 

